Cisco Systems has rolled out an online video publishing package for businesses, an offering in line with the company’s strategy to move beyond its traditional focus on networks to make more of a splash in the unified communications market.

Cisco said Tuesday that its Digital Media System could, for example, allow a company to stream an executive keynote online and then archive it immediately for further viewing.

The company envisions a range of applications for the system from companies using it to train employees in remote locations to governments broadcasting public meetings online. The system is based on an IP (Internet Protocol) platform, Cisco said.

The Digital Media System includes two media encoders, one portable and one a "studio-level" appliance, Cisco said. A second feature, the Digital Media Manager, is a batch of tools that allows metadata and keywords to be added to video clips along with publishing and archiving functions. The third component is a customizable portal to search and watch videos.

The product comes out of Cisco’s Emerging Market Technology Group, which Cisco described as an internal team that looks outside the company’s core networking business.

The Digital Media System starts at US$133,000.

-Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service (London Bureau)

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